Russia launched a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine late Monday, killing at least one person and injuring seven others in Kyiv, while striking multiple regions across the country with a barrage of drones and missiles, Ukrainian officials said.
Air raid sirens wailed through the capital as loud explosions lit up the sky. The distinctive buzz of incoming drones echoed between the high-rise buildings, jolting residents from their sleep and sending many scrambling into underground shelters.
Kyiv Mayor, Vitali Klitschko confirmed damage in at least four districts of the capital. He said emergency crews were working across the city to contain fires and rescue victims. A subway station, commercial buildings, residential homes, and even a kindergarten sustained damage in the attacks.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russian forces launched a total of 426 drones and 24 missiles targeting various parts of the country overnight. Air defences intercepted the majority of them, though 23 drones still managed to strike their targets.
In one Kyiv neighbourhood, a drone slammed into the lower floors of a residential building, leaving scorched walls and shattered windows. Stunned residents stood outside at dawn, surveying the destruction.
In western Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, four people — including a child — were injured during the night’s attacks, the state emergency service reported. The city’s mayor described the assault as the most intense since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Further east, Kharkiv — Ukraine’s second-largest city — was also hit hard. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian forces launched 12 strikes on the city overnight, sparking a fire at a civilian industrial site and shattering windows in nearby residential blocks.
The latest wave of attacks underscores the continued intensity of Russia’s air campaign as Ukraine struggles to bolster its air defences and safeguard critical infrastructure.
